The present invention relates generally to emergency calls and, more particularly, to providing private network information during emergency calls.
Enhanced 911 service (E911) has revolutionized the ability of emergency service providers to quickly respond to emergencies. As a part of E911 systems, operators receiving calls also receive information identifying the location from which the call was placed. This location information comes to the operator from a database within the public switched telephone network (PSTN) that maps telephone numbers to location information. However, this database may include incorrect or stale information or insufficient information to adequately locate the person placing the call. For example, in a privately managed network (such as a large corporate campus), the E911 operator may receive location information for a central point (such as a main lobby) that may not reflect the actual location of the caller.
In accordance with the present invention, techniques for providing private network information during emergency calls are provided which substantially eliminate or reduce disadvantages and problems associated with previous techniques. In a particular embodiment, the present invention satisfies a need for emergency operators to have access to relatively detailed location information for a device within a privately managed network.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method for providing location information during an emergency call detects an emergency call placed from a telephony device, determines a physical location of the telephony device, and receives a request for the physical location from an emergency operator handling the emergency call, with the request communicated by the emergency operator in the emergency call. In response to the request, the method generates audio identifying the physical location and presents the audio identifying the physical location to the emergency operator in the emergency call.
Embodiments of the invention provide various technical advantages. Using these techniques, a privately managed network may provide relatively detailed physical location information for a device placing an emergency call. For example, in response to an appropriate request from an emergency operator, an element in the private network may respond with physical location information for the device that placed the emergency call. Thus, while existing emergency systems may provide an emergency operator with a single location for a large private network, the private network may supplement this information by communicating far greater physical location detail to the emergency operator. Because this information is supplied by the private network, it is more likely that the information will be current and accurate in addition to being more precise than the information maintained within the PSTN.
In addition to providing precise physical location information, the private network may further provide additional information to an emergency operator to assist in obtaining an appropriate emergency response. According to particular embodiments, the private network maintains personal information associated with telephony devices within the private network. For example, the private network may maintain pertinent medical information for a user associated with a device. In response to an appropriate request from an emergency operator, the private network may supply this personal information to the emergency operator.
These techniques also permit a private network to provide location information to emergency operators without requiring alterations to existing public service answering points providing emergency services. However, these techniques anticipate an integration of information maintained within the PSTN and the functionalities provided by the private network. For example, the information stored within the PSTN that maps a central telephone number for the private network to location information for the private network may include some indication of a request that may be generated by an emergency operator to receive more detailed physical location information from the private network during an emergency call. For example, the location information stored by the PSTN may, in addition to an address for the private network, specify that an emergency operator may request more detailed location information by providing a signal, such as pressing the pound key.
Other technical advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the following figures, descriptions, and claims. Moreover, while specific advantages have been enumerated above, various embodiments may include all, some, or none of the enumerated advantages.